”Equipment used in drug sales” is incredibly vague to my mind. My guess is if police hadn’t broken down the door (although from the sounds of things they did identify themselves as law enforcement and Fricke attested to that) or if Fricke hadn’t shot at he knew not what, he would have been fine after the search turned up nothing illegal (apparently).
Result is a catch-22. Police will say they chose to use a no-knock warrant because Fricke was potentially dangerous, and the fact that he killed a police officer validates that claim. On the other hand Fricke will no doubt say that if they didn’t use a no-knock warrant he wouldn’t have shot anyone.
Identify target hell. If he’s armed, taking time to identify who’s busting in your door is the time needed to get yourself killed.
No knock raids need to be outlawed, nationally.
Previous poster said “why didn’t they arrest during the buy” - it’s as simple as that. Or grab him as he’s leaving the next day. Or, or, or...
A bad guy breaking down your door has sufficiently identified himself for you.
I hope that this officer will not have died in vain. I hope that the authorities will learn that "no knock" raids are a bad idea and quit doing them. We the People are armed. The authorities had best learn to mind their manners.
As to Mr. Fricke: "Not Guilty."
A postal or kitchen scale and a box of baggies probably qualifies. But EQUIPMENT USED IN DRUG SALES sounds so much more ominous.
if someone is breaking down my door in the middle of the night the perp is immediately identified as “bad guy who wants to hurt me” and they get shot.
What else is one to think? Particularly in a bad neighborhood?
I would say he identified his target well a man that was breaking his door in after yelling, police and the no knock warrant ate the problem here.
“Sounds as though Fricke did not clearly identify his target prior to opening fire. ...”
Yes, he DID. It was someone yelling incoherently, meaning to cause him lethal harm evidenced by breaking down his door. He was “scared for his life”. “Self defense” all day long.
Warrant? I didn’t see no stinkin warrant.
As an aside, was this the same team that arrested Roger Stone? /s
A non-felon experiencing somebody kicking in his door may reasonably and rationally conclude that the person on the other side is a home invader, and that allowing them to finish bashing in his door will greatly increase his risk of getting killed.
”Equipment used in drug sales” is incredibly vague to my mind.
I have a digital kitchen scale. Does that count? Probably.
If I were on a jury, I'd most likely side with the citizen in this situation rather than the police.
“Sounds as though Fricke did not clearly identify his target prior to opening fire.”
He identified the target as someone breaking into his home, and he was right. Dismiss all charges.